Two-time Tony Award nominee and Emmy and Obie Award winner André De Shields (The Wiz, Ain’t Misbehavin’, The Full Monty, Play On!) will be part of the cast of Playwrights Horizons’ upcoming production of Mankind, written and directed by two-time Obie Award winner Robert O'Hara (Bootycandy; Bella: An American Tall Tale; Barbecue; In the Continuum;The Brother/Sister Plays).

Commissioned by Playwrights Horizons, previews will begin December 15 prior to an official opening January 8, 2018, at the company's Mainstage Theater, 416 W. 42nd St. The limited run is currently scheduled through January 28.

The cast will also include Bobby Moreno (Grand Concourse at Playwrights, Fulfillment Center, Lazarus), Anson Mount (Corpus Christi, Three Sisters), Stephen Schnetzer (Oslo; Wit; The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?), Ariel Shafir (Medea in Jerusalem; Craft; Orange Is the New Black), and David Ryan Smith (One Man, Two Guvnors; Passing Strange; Twelfth Night; Marat/Sade).

In Mankind, according to Playwrights, “Mark (Mount) and Jason (Moreno) were keeping things casual until Jason got pregnant. But however unplanned the pregnancy was, nothing could be less expected than the chain of events it would set in motion.”

The production will also feature scenic design by Tony Award winner Clint Ramos, costume design by Dede M. Ayite, lighting design by Alex Jainchill, sound design by Lindsay Jones, video design by Jeff Sugg, and hair, wig, and makeup design by J. Jared Janas and Dave Bova. The production stage manager is Erin Gioia Albrecht.

Beginning November 20, single tickets, priced $39–$89, may be purchased online via phnyc.org, by phone at (212) 279-4200 (noon-8 PM daily), and in person at the box office, 416 West 42nd Street.